The present invention relates to a carton set-up machine, and more particularly to a machine that automatically inserts a bottom of a carton sideways into a top of a carton.
In the packaging of certain types of materials such as fresh citrus fruit, peaches, or apples, it is desirable to store and ship the cartons in which the material is to be shipped with the bottom of the carton inserted sideways into the top so that the carton can be stored or shipped as a unit. Setting-up cartons in this manner saves space and shipping time, and assures that every carton will constitute a complete unit.
Although such carton set-up operations could be performed manually, considerable time and expense can be saved if the operation is performed automatically. Several machines have heretofore been designed which automatically insert a member into a carton. An example of such a machine can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,777, which discloses a machine for producing double-walled containers by inserting single-walled containers into blanks to form double-walled containers.
The above-described machine has the disadvantage of requiring many moving parts to properly align the respective sections of the container. These parts include a first movable arm for holding the blank in place, and a plurality of oscillating guide arms which insure that the respective members are properly aligned when the container is assembled. The relative complexity of the machine makes it too expensive for many applications. Furthermore, the complex operation increases the chance of misshaped container sections jamming the machine, which would require that the machine be shut down for manual removal of the jammed containers. Furthermore, prior-art set-up machines lack sufficient means for assuring that the carton sections are properly aligned before any actual operation of the machine commences, thereby increasing the chances of jamming the machines and damaging the carton sections.